T-80 Russian Tank - When Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February. Its offensive on October 24, 2022 was led by tanks drawn primarily from stocks of Cold War Soviet-built T-72 and T-80s. Although similar in appearance, the T-80 was built around an innovative engine that proved both problematic and costly.

The mid-1960s saw an attempt by the Soviet Union to produce a new, radical generation of technologically sophisticated main battle tanks that were lighter than their foreign contemporaries and had three-man crews instead of the more common four. Was able to fight with. This began in 1964 with the 38-ton T-64, which had among other things a compact engine arrangement; an auto-loader for its 125 mm smoothbore cannon, which could fire shells or anti-tank missiles; Smaller all-steel rollers replaced the larger wheeled Christie suspension that had reached its practical limits on the T-62; and composite armor made of layers of steel and ceramic compounds.

T-80 Russian Tank

T-80 Russian Tank

Built in Kharkiv, the T-64 showed a troubling difference between an impressive prototype and a production model riddled with problems, most notably the tendency of its auto-loader to "eat" the left hand of careless gunners inside an overcrowded turret. for. Another drawback was where the rounds had to be stored: just outside the turret mounting ring but inside the crew compartment, which would be fatal to all hands if hit. Only 13,108 T-64s were built between 1964 and 1987, compared to 22,096 built in Nizhny-Kagil between 1973 and 1990 in T-72s, a simpler 40% lower cost of production than the T-64. But more believable was the Step Back.

Soldier Performs 180 Degree Rotation In A T 80 Tank

While diesel engines had dominated Soviet tanks since World War II, the Soviet Union introduced a third main battle tank in 1976, powered by an SG1000 gas turbine engine, but otherwise of the same configuration as the T-64 and T-72. Who was It was armed with the same 125 mm 2A46H1 Rapira smoothbore cannon as the other variant, the latter capable of firing M9K112 Cobra missiles, as well as a coaxial 7.62×54 machine gun and 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on top of the turret.

The prospect of three tanks identical in basic configuration but each different under the skin presented a potential maintenance nightmare for the Soviet Army, and the T-80 became an on-and-off target of every senior officer who opposed its adoption. In November 1975, Defense Minister Andrei Grechko stalled its approval, but, five months later, his successor, Dmitry Ustinov, approved it. The first 30 came off the production line in Omsk in late 1976.

In 1978, the Soviets referred to the T-80B as the "tank of the English Channel", as their war game scenarios envisioned them rolling from Germany to the Channel in five days. However, in practice, the T-80 itself offers the impossibility of this happening.

Although its turbine engine made the T-80 the first tank capable of exceeding 70 kilometers per hour, it was light and could overheat quickly even at the end of winter, it was expensive, had troublesome handling and weak speed. Used to consume fuel from. in dirt and dust than diesel. More importantly, each T-80 cost $3 million, which is 3 1/2 times the cost of the T-64A.

T 80 Tanks Cut Fruit And Dance Ballet At Russian Army Demonstration

Counteracting all arguments to dismiss the T-80 as a deliberate mistake were the economic consequences of factory closures and layoffs. And so somewhat less production continued, along with a series of attempts to improve the breed.

In 1991, 800 T-80UDs were built in Kharkiv, which was considered the main Soviet tank factory - until it became the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Production of the T-80U at the Leningrad Kirov Plant ended in 1990 before the Soviet collapse. And the last T-80B rolled out of the Transmash plant in Omsk in 2001, bringing the total to 7,066.

Among the T-80's improvements was the T-80BV, which had Contact 1 explosive reactive armour. The T-80U introduced improved 1A45 fire control and the 9K119 Reflex guided missile. In the T-80UD, the GTD1250 turbine was replaced with a diesel engine.

T-80 Russian Tank

The T-80's maneuverability was difficult in the First Chechen War, with large numbers of tanks coming under numerous attacks from Chechen insurgents armed with RPG-7V and RPG-18 rocket-propelled grenades. For most, this isn't so much a reflection of the tanks as how untrained their crews are in urban warfare, a martial art that hasn't been practiced seriously since the Soviet Army captured Berlin in 1945. A universal problem in the T-64, T-72, T-80 and T-90, the relatively limited up-and-down movement of their main guns within their tight turrets was a major handicap in urban engagements.

Russian T 80 Tanks To Receive 'soft Packages' With Explosive Reactive Armour

As a result of their dismal performance in Chechnya, with the financial cost of being destroyed each time, the T-80s were not deployed in the Second Chechen War of 1999, the 2008 Russo-Georgian conflict, or the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War.

However, by 2022, severe wear and tear on the T-72s and T-90s forced the Russians to send their stock of T-80s into combat. Essentially for the same reasons as his permanent companions, he also suffered heavily. By 10 April, the Russians had lost 19 T-80BVMs and 52 T-80Us – and in the case of the latter model, 15 were destroyed and 42 abandoned.

Onyx reported a total loss of 178 Russian T-80s, although not all of them were destroyed - Ukrainian 93

The Mechanized Brigade operated captured T-80s against their former owners. In any case, both the Russians and Ukrainians face a challenge when dueling the T-80, which can boast one of the most unfortunate histories of any tank, from its inception to its latest dispatch.

T 80: Why Is Russia Using One Of The Worst Tanks Ever In Ukraine?

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The Russian government plans to refurbish 3,000 T-80 main battle tanks and return them to service with the Russian army. The move may sound impressive, but it is actually a sign of Russia's declining economic and military power.

, the old T-80 tanks would be mothballed and modernized to the new T-80BV standard. The work will be carried out by Omsktransmash, a state-owned tank design and engineering facility in the Siberian city of Omsk.

T-80 Russian Tank

The T-80 main battle tank was originally produced by the Soviet Union between 1976 and 1992. Unlike the other USSR tank, the T-72, the T-80 was powered by a gas turbine engine. This provided more power than the T-72's diesel engine, but at the cost of higher fuel consumption, stressing the supply lines.

T 80 — Combat Vehicle, The Main Tank Produced In The Ussr And The Russian Federation. Rear View Editorial Photography

Here is a Russian documentary (with subtitles) on the development of the T-80 tank and its predecessor, the T-64.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited a bulk of T-80 tanks. But Moscow decided to abandon the T-80 line in favor of the T-72 line, which eventually became the T-90, Russia's current frontline tank. It should eventually be replaced by the newer T-14 Armata.

The T-80 was nearly identical to the T-72, except for an unreliable, fuel-guzzling engine. But this basic difference is enough to doom most T-80s to early retirement. Tanks receiving the upgrade have been sitting around for several years, and the Russian military isn't particularly known for carefully mothballing older equipment.

According to Jens, the T-80BV upgrade will include a Sonsa-U fire control system, an updated "energy generator" (whatever that is) and engine starter, and explosive reactive armor. Given that Russia was looking to improve the T-80 in 2002 with a new main gun, ammunition and a new fighting compartment for the crew, the BV upgrades were actually quite minor.

Russia To Boost Firepower Of Aging T 80 Tank

The T-80BVs will still be inferior to NATO tanks such as the M1A2 Abrams, Leopard 2A7, and Challenger 2. The Russian government says the upgraded T-80BVs will be "suitable for climatic Arctic, Far Eastern and Siberian conditions." That's right—gas turbine tank engines perform better in cold weather than diesel engines. But it is also true that military districts are relatively quiet places, with the possible exception of the Norwegian border and a safe distance from NATO weapons.

The idea of ​​Russia returning the T-80 to service is a sign of plans gone awry. Russia should be making more T-14 Armata than dusting off old tanks, but the country's defense budget is set to fall 12 percent in 2017, one percent more than the 2013 budget separation that saw the U.S. had troubled Department of Defense. While Russia will buy a small number of Armata to keep the production line open until the economy improves, Russia's "new" tanks for the foreseeable future will be old ones.

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T-80 Russian Tank

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Russia Preparing To Return 3,000 Older Tanks Into Service

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